Embedding efficiencies at BES Ltd with Excitech DOCS

Adopt | Adapt | Advance

"Our interface for Excitech DOCS has been closely aligned with our existing proven processes. This way technology is not changing how we work or collaborate, but is leveraging additional value from our existing practices.

The overall goal is to minimise errors, streamline and structure processes, and allow full transparency of a document’s journey for audit purposes. Migration and alignment to ISO 19650 and to develop the knowledge of our staff to such standards, have also been driving forces. It is now all in place."

Mike Robinson, BIM Manager, BES Ltd

Excitech software & services provided:

• Excitech DOCS
• Customisation to mirror existing folder structure for user familiarity
• Training

Meet BES Ltd

Working with world-leading organisations in the pharmaceutical, life science and healthcare sectors, BES creates cutting-edge cleanrooms, laboratories and other sophisticated environments. The company is committed to innovation across its range of specialist services; including consultancy, design, construction, commissioning and validation.

The success of BES lies in combining both design and construction capabilities to provide a complete multidisciplinary offering, ensuring every project is expertly designed and executed with industry-leading innovation and construction excellence.
 

A collaborative approach sits at the heart of how BES works. Clients are advised and consulted at every project stage, from initial feasibility and concept, through detailed design to construction and handover. Building Information Modelling (BIM) plays a central role in this approach; forging the connections between all project stages, and making information-sharing and broad participant involvement run smoothly and effectively.

The challenge: Streamlining workflows 

A vital connection in getting things done efficiently, is in the progress and exchange of drawings and documents between BES’s multidisciplinary teams. Mike explains that he was looking for a solution which could potentially improve the existing document management system and its efficiency whilst aligning to the current BIM & ISO 19650 processes. Following a number of internal workshops, the consensus among all those involved was that the Design team would benefit from having a platform which would help speed up the documents handling process, allowing for a smooth continuity and progress. The improvements to workflows could help save time and reduce errors, bringing better outcomes to the clients.

As the choice for BES was to adopt a new software, Mike researched the market to find a solution which fitted the company’s requirements.

The solution: Designed for the way the industry works

“Excitech DOCS ticked most of the boxes,” says Mike. “We saw the potential for Excitech DOCS to streamline our processes and allow our staff freedom to do their particular job, without having to worry too much about the alignment to the current BIM & ISO 19650 processes. Excitech DOCS seemed like the only software solution on the market that catered for the AEC industry and BIM requirements”.

With the introduction of any new software solution, in any company, it is more than just the end result that is important. How quickly and how easily users will adopt it is equally critical and can create a road bump in a company’s journey towards new efficiencies. 

BES asked Excitech to adapt Excitech DOCS to the existing processes at BES. This involved configuring the system within the software to mirror the existing Windows Folders structures and use the same terminology as the Design Team was already accustomed to.

Mike explains “I didn’t want there to be too much of a change otherwise people would reject the new solution. I asked myself “How do we recreate this system for users so they can migrate easily and  understand where the documents are actually located in the system?” As a result, we’ve now got an enhanced system that not only utilises our existing systems, but also helps us align with ISO 19650 standards and workflows. We’re getting the best of both worlds.”

The result: Structure and transparency

Mike’s summary of the practices that Excitech DOCS has helped to improve will strike a high note of recognition with any design, engineering, BIM, or construction sector professional:

 “Take approvals, for example. Gone are the days where documents have to be printed out, maybe ink stamped with a rubber stamp, in readiness for a senior member of staff to add a signature for an approval. This could take hours, if not days, if someone was not in the office. With Excitech DOCS, the process can be handled by the approver wherever they are, via the mobile app and mark-ups can be done digitally. It also provides an audit trail which is a real benefit because it is easy for paper to get lost in this process, but it can’t get lost with Excitech DOCS. Even if it somehow does get deleted, the information is still retrievable.”

Picking up the pace: The journey continues

Integral to Mike’s adoption strategy has been the ‘ambassador’ approach, whereby as each group of users is trained in Excitech DOCS, it is able to guide the next group, spreading hands-on experience through the design department.

For BES overall, one of the main driving forces behind the adoption of Excitech DOCS was its compliance with BIM and industry standards file naming conventions, automatically taken care of by the software.

"Excitech DOCS has enabled us to make some impressive leaps forward,” says Mike.
 

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To learn more about our document and drawing management software Excitech DOCS, click here. For more information on BIM Level 2 accreditation, click here.   

To learn more about BES Ltd​, click on the links below.

 https://www.besltd.org/
 https://www.linkedin.com/company/boulting-environmental-services-ltd

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